I was lucky enough to get one of the first batch back in December. I absolutely LOVE this guitar. I haven't touched anything else (LP's, Strat, Riviera) since I got it. It plays great right out of the box.

As expected, gold pickguard just has to go. It looks period correct and all but I feel like I'm looking at Elvis' coffin.

Only cosmetic nitpick out of the box is the trem arm tip is 2 piece, and the mold/join isn't particularly clean. I can't fault it much for that, but well, it is what it is. I'll sand/file it down some later.

Setup was almost spot on out of the box, which is impressive given I'm at 5k elevation. Fret sprout/sharp ends just aren't there, frankly surprising, since I usually can draw blood on guitars shipped to me here.

Finish is thick but looks decent, guitar has a decent heft to it even with the basswood body, and the maple on the neck shows nice grain and a well-applied tint that isn't overbearing or veering into orange. Back of neck finish is very light and feels nice, it's well polished and feels broken in somewhat already.

I had intended to spend some time with it plugged in after setup and tuning, but that's escaped me for right now as I just sat here on the couch unplugged with it for a couple hours.

Will report back on the electronics and pickups, but as a simple hunk of wood and metal it sounds decent unplugged and plays well. No cheap, thin Chinese neck cramping up my hands either, which is expected given the listed wider than AVRI width at nut but very pleasant nonetheless.

Sadly I have to get at least a few hours of sleep this afternoon to make up for what I lost dealing with the insurance company this morning, but If the electronics are half as good as the thing feels to just noodle around on, it may be the bargain of the century.

rfurtkamp wrote:As expected, gold pickguard just has to go. It looks period correct and all but I feel like I'm looking at Elvis' coffin.

you will lose unplugged volume and the sound will change (not that much presence and upper harmonics "ring"). i'm curious what you think when you swapped it. (i have on all JMs the anodized pickguards)

Yea, was wondering given the characteristics of aluminum. Not in an immediate hurry, cosmetics aren't the most important thing or I'd have shelled out for something in a different color as well.

Plugged in, it's got quite a range; tone zero on the rhythm circuit is exceedingly, exceedingly dark - but works for some very very biting octave fuzz settings I had laying around. Clean it's pleasant and a little woody, a bit of meat to the pickups I don't normally associate with JM pickups - as others have noted in their own reviews. It sounds good though, and can be tamed by rolling the volume knob down a bit.

Shielding and hum-wise I'm very impressed for a budget instrument; it's obviously wired right and has enough paint/foil to make things acceptably quiet even with high-gain settings.

Pedalwise it killed with a Devi Soda Meiser and Fender Blender; sounds good with the other couple I pulled off the shelf immediately but those were definite standouts.

I certainly don't *need* the guitar but it makes me happy and that counts for something. Will probably revisit if warranted in a couple weeks once the initial happy has worn off.